PSA: A hostel worker in Barcelona told me I was ruining my towels by using fabric softener...

She said it clogs the fibers and makes them less absorbent, so now I just toss them in with a splash of vinegar instead, has anyone else had better luck with that kind of change on the road?

3 comments

3 Comments

john4301mo ago

Yo that's actually super relatable! I learned the same thing a couple years ago from a hostel in Thailand. They told me fabric softener just leaves a waxy film on towels that makes them feel rough and not dry you off good. So now I just use a little bit of white vinegar in the rinse cycle when I'm washing towels at home or on the road. It really does keep them fluffy and absorbent, plus it helps get rid of that stale backpacker smell. I've been doing it for like two years with no issues. Towels last way longer too.

theas941mo ago

Stale backpacker smell" hit me hard because I'm pretty sure that's just my permanent scent at this point. Guess I need to switch to the vinegar method before my towels start walking away on their own.

faithb781mo agoMost Upvoted

That's actually such a good point and it's wild how this applies to way more than just towels. Same thing happens with workout clothes and even some bedsheets if you use too much softener or dryer sheets. It's like we've been tricked into thinking everything needs to smell like a flower garden but really it's just coating our stuff in chemicals that break it down faster. Vinegar trick works on so many things too, not just towels. I use it for my gym clothes and even in my coffee maker to descale it. Kinda funny how the simplest solutions are usually the ones that work best and cost almost nothing.